Bregu: Access to cyber security, in line with EU standards is a must

2023-06-29 20:26:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), organized in cooperation with DG NEAR (European Commission) on June 28-29, 2023 in Brussels, a two-day, high-level conference on cyber security in the Western Balkans.

“Cyber-attacks know no borders – a common regional approach to ensure cyber security in the region, in line with EU standards, is now a must. The economies of the Western Balkans must have strong legal frameworks that facilitate cooperation and exchange of information among themselves and with the EU. However, what is more important is the commitment at high political levels to cyber security reforms. The region must work together in this regard. Education and awareness are vital components of a comprehensive cyber security strategy. Programs and strategies that support the digitization of business, including e-commerce, are what we need to develop rapidly", said the General Secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu, in her speech.

Besides Mrs. Bregu, the main speech was given by the Director General of the EU next to the Director General, Gert Jan Koopman, while the panel included Azir Aliu, Minister of Information Society and Administration of North Macedonia; Enkelejda Muçaj, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania; Bardhyl Dobra, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo; Milan Dobrijevi?, State Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia; Marija Hajdukovi?, General Director in the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro; Predrag Simovi?, Head of the ICT Department at the State Agency for Investigation and Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bregu: Access to cyber security, in line with EU standards is a must

“If measured, cybercrime is projected to cause $8 trillion in damages globally in 2023, making it the third largest economy behind the US and China. If the studies and predictions are scientifically correct, a 15% increase per year over the next 3 years in the costs of cybercrime will be the largest transfer of economic wealth in history. Increasing cyber resilience in our region remains a strong foundation and backbone for all transformative changes, including accelerated integration into e-commerce and the European single market. The Western Balkans needs to be included in all EU bodies, networks, frameworks - in every possible capacity", concluded Bregu.

The RCC recently joined the 110-member Global Forum for Cyber ??Expertise (GFCE) to continue strengthening regional and European cybersecurity capacity building. The RCC is promoting processes to enable the integration of the Western Balkans into the work of the European Union Agency for Cyber ??Security (ENISA). This will mark another step towards the accelerated alignment of BP with EU Single Market standards and practices. Furthermore, the inclusion of the Western Balkans in the EU Cyber ??Security Incident Review Mechanism to assess and review specific cyber security incidents would enable a strengthened response to cyber attacks in the Western Balkans and build capacity for timely response.

The participants of the conference discussed the advancement of the Western Balkans on the road to resilience and greater cyber defense against cyber threats. Ministers and other representatives of the governments and public institutions of the Western Balkans, donors, international organizations, implementing partners, the private sector, NGOs and academia exchanged views on the outstanding challenges and needs in the field of cyber security and explored how to address them. they are best addressed through a more collaborative approach between government and society as a whole. The exchanges focused on strengthening regional cooperation and improving the exchange of information, knowledge and experience between the economies of the Western Balkans and within the global cyber community./ CNA.al